Back to: William Blake Poems Summary
The poem Spring by William Blake is is from his collection “Songs of Innocence”. Hence the poem celebrates innocence. The speaker in this poem is a child and thus he describes the beauty of spring without thinking about the winter which preceded it or the future which will succeed it.
In this poem, the poet gives reference to the nightingale, little boy, the little girl, co ck a stanza about the innocent lamb. All of them have been already talked about in other poems. Here he is bringing all of them so as to celebrate all the innocence.
The poem has been divided into 3 stanzas having 9 lines each. In the first stanza, the child welcomes the spring by breaking the silence. In the second stanza, he talks about the little innocent boy and girl and their innocent voices. In the third stanza, he talks about the epitome of innocence – the lamb and desires to celebrate the spring with all the innocents.
Table of Contents
Spring Poem Summary
Stanza 1
in the first stanza, the speaker who is a child says that the flute should be sounded, as it is the end of the silence (or the doomed winter). The birds are merry making and joyful throughout the days and the nights.
The nightingale is flying in the dale (valley) and the lark is back to sky. All these birds have come happily to welcome the spring in the year. Note that the poet begins with “Sound the flute” which depicts that winter is doomed, lifeless and dead-like.
On the other hand, spring is full of sweet voices, melodies, chirping, greenery etc. In addition, the birds like nightingale and the lark disappear in the winter and come back only when the spring appears.
Stanza 2
In the second stanza, the speaker says that the little boy (i.e. the innocent boy) is full of joy and so is the little girl (the innocent girl) who is sweet and small. The co ck is crowing in joy and hence all the people in the world should cry in joy.
There are a merry (joyous) voice and infant noise (of the two infants – the little boy and the little girl). All of them are shouting in joy so as to welcome the spring in the year.
Stanza 3
In the third stanza, the speaker is in conversation with the little lamb – the epitome of innocence (in the imaginary world of Blake). He tells the lamb that he is near it and invites the lamb to lick his white neck.
In return, the child requests the lamb to pull its soft wool and its soft face. In the final line, unlike the last lines of other two stanzas, the poet uses we in the place of to. He says that all of the innocents are there enjoying and merry-making. Hence all of them should get together in order to welcome spring.
In this stanza, the child calls his neck white. I think he is either a white boy or the poet uses white colour to describe the innocence which a child usually has.
